Effect of different sodium chloride concentrations on wheat seed germination and early seedling growth in the Zawiya region – Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/vnh5zt40Keywords:
wheat; sodium chloride; salt stress; germination; seedling growth; seedling vigor index; Al-Zawiya, LibyaAbstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different sodium chloride concentrations on seed germination and early seedling growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Al-Zawiya, Libya, considering the importance of the germination stage as a critical phase for successful crop establishment under salt stress. The experiment was conducted using five NaCl concentrations: 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mM, arranged in a completely randomized design with four replicates per treatment and 25 seeds per replicate. Germination was recorded daily for seven days, while early growth measurements were taken on the fourteenth day. The studied traits included germination percentage, mean germination time, root length, shoot length, total seedling length, fresh and dry weight, and seedling vigor indices I and II. The results showed that increasing NaCl concentration caused a significant reduction in most studied traits. Germination percentage decreased from 93% in the control treatment to 50% at 100 mM NaCl, whereas mean germination time increased from 3.56 to 5.11 days. Total seedling length declined from 20.17 to 7.42 cm, while fresh weight decreased from 2.21 to 0.78 g/10 seedlings and dry weight from 0.29 to 0.10 g/10 seedlings. Seedling vigor index I also decreased from 1878.50 to 370.20, and seedling vigor index II from 27.26 to 4.98. These findings indicate that sodium chloride salinity negatively affected wheat germination and early seedling growth, particularly at higher concentrations, especially 75 and 100 mM. The study recommends assessing the salinity of the growth medium and irrigation water before wheat cultivation and using integrated germination and growth indicators to evaluate wheat response to salinity.
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